A. "I was a little bit caught off guard because I haven't had a lot of contact with the organization since the combine. I didn't take a visit and things like that but at this point I'm just so excited. I'm so happy to get started. I'm happy to be a Charger. I'm blessed. I'm real thankful for the position I'm in right now. I'm ready to go to work."

Q. Where did you expect to go?

A. "To be honest I had no clue where I was going to go. My agent told me that it was anywhere from middle of the first to the end of the first. Honestly, I kind of let that go. I was just happy and relieved that I knew I was going to have a little bit more clarity at the end of the day. I'm excited. I'm ecstatic. My emotions are kind of all over the place but I can't say enough about it."

Q. Are you at home?

A. "Yeah, I am. I'm at home."

Q. Your stock went up quite a bit over a month or so, where do you think you've made your strongest impression?

A. "I think the biggest thing that was always biggest for me in evaluating a football player is watching football tape. I think that is what helped me. Being able to get in front of coaches and GMs an really just talk to those guys and show them the kind of person I am, the kind of character that I have, and the maturity that I have, and leadership qualities, leadership traits. I think that is what made my stock go up."

Q. Do you think that playing in the Mid-American Conference hurt you in some of the early draft evaluations?

A. "I can't say that it did. That might have been the case. In all honesty I think I was kind of naive to it because I was always so confident in my abilities. I was confident that I was one of the best defensive football players in the country. I never discounted myself or discredited myself just because I played in the MAC. I knew deep down what type of football player I was, or I should say I am, and what type of person I am."

Q. Do you have a preference between outside linebacker or defensive end?

A. "I've obviously been comfortable at defensive end the past five years in the scheme that I played in college, but the more I learned about the 3-4 scheme, I think my athletic ability, just the type of football player that I am, I think that it's extremely conducive to this scheme. I think I'll fit perfectly in it."

Q. Are you ready to compete for playing time with Shawne Merriman?

A. "Yes. I'm ready to come out there and compete. I've been watching those guys play football for a long time. They're great. I'm happy to be coming in and be surrounded with guys like that. At the same time I'm ready to come in and learn and compete and play football. That's what it is. I've been doing it my whole life. Now it's on a larger scale. I'm just happy to be here."

Q. On his nickname being Darth Vader?

A. "At one point it was. Some of the older guys on the team a few years back gave it to me, but those guys have since graduated so there aren't too many people around that call me that any more."

Q. That's because of your inhaler, correct?

A. "Yeah, somebody heard me use it and didn't know what it was."

Q. Has that posed a problem for you at all, being asthmatic?

A. "No it hasn't. I've had that my whole life since I was a fifth grader and I've played every sport under the sun. It hasn't hampered me at all."

Q. Are you happy to be coming to such a beautiful city?

A. "I couldn't be happier. The Lord put me in a great place. I was actually out there a few years back–my team, Northern Illinois, we played in the Poinsettia Bowl, so I'm happy. I enjoyed my time out there. It's a beautiful city. It's a beautiful place. I'm happy to be coming out there."

Q. Who was your NFL team growing up?

A. "Growing up where I'm from, right outside of Chicago, I was always a Bears fan but this is a great organization, a great team, a team that has the ability to win a Super Bowl. I'm so happy I'm in the situation that I'm in."

Q. What's your weight right now?

A. "Last time I weighed myself I was 256 pounds and that was a couple of days ago."

Q. Do they want you to get heavier or lighter?

A. "I'm not sure of that. I'm sure that they'll tell me all of that soon. I can adjust my weight accordingly."

Q. How young were you when you started playing football and were you always a defensive player?

A. "I was actually nine years old the first time I strapped on the pads. I played defense my whole life, but there were some points where I played when I would go both ways, I played offense too. My first position I played when I was nine years old was nose guard. I played every position. Nose guard, end, growing up as a kid, played fullback. As soon as I got to high school I was a fullback and inside linebacker and that's what I played all through high school."

Q. Do you have more of a defensive temperament?

A. "I think I do. I'm a little bit more of an aggressive football player. That's conducive to playing defense."

Q. What team did you see your name associated with the most?

A. "A lot of times a lot of people had me in New England, and a lot of people had me in Arizona."

Q. How many people are at home with you?

A. "There are about 25 people in my house right now."

Q. Is that all family? Friends?

A. "Yes, family, a few close teammates, and a couple of coaches."

Q. How are you celebrating?

A. "We were all downstairs and it was just amazing to be on that screen and watch your name get called. I'm celebrating here with my family, the people that mean the most to me. I'm happy to be here."

Q. How much time did you have between the phone call and the pick being announced?

A. "It was probably a few minutes because I was actually upstairs and there were a few minutes on the clock, I think, when they called me. So I talked to them for a few minutes, then they told me my name was getting ready be to called. At that point I went downstairs where everybody else was at and watched my name get called."

Q. Were you injured as a true freshman?

A. "It was just because I was a freshman, I think. I had an ankle sprain when I was a freshman. It wasn't really bad but I was going to miss a few games and I was a true freshman and I had only played one game when it happened, so they pulled me out for the rest of the season."

Q. Were you recruited widely by Big-Ten teams or was Northern Illinois your first choice from the outset?

A. "Northern Illinois was my first offer and I had a lot of offers from MAC schools. Iowa came in late. I wasn't real highly touted coming out of high school. At that point I had already committed to going to Northern Illinois. I felt that it was right to stick to my commitment to come to Northern and I think things they worked out great for me. At the end of the day God had a plan for me and put me in the right place."

Q. Do you consider yourself a late bloomer?

A. "I wouldn't say that. I wouldn't say that I was a late bloomer. I couldn't really dissect and analyze the whole situation how everything happened, but I think from the point that I got to Northern I adjusted well to the game. As a true freshman I was on the field (and after the ankle sprain). I got that year back. From that point on I was a four-year starter."

Q. Did you wake up today thinking you'd be a top-20 pick?

A. "To be honest, I didn't know where I was going to go today. Fortunately it was called earlier than later so I'm happy."